Poly Prep relishes beating opponents away and Portledge was no exception.
“We call ourselves the New York Giants,” Poly Prep head coach Michael Junsch said. “Every game is on the road and we actually play better on the road.”
If the parallel between the Blue Devils and the Super Bowl champion Giants is true, then junior forward Jackie Kennedy played the role of Eli Manning on Friday. Kennedy took the leadership role in No. 6 Poly Prep’s third road win in as many days against No. 2 Portledge in a 53-46 victory in the NYSAISAA Class C girls basketball semifinals in Lynbrook, L.I.
Kennedy led Poly Prep with a team-high 16 points while adding 15 rebounds in helping stamp a trip to the NYSAISAA Class C championship for the Blue Devils. They meet top-seed and rival Hackley in the championship game 1 p.m. Sunday at Fieldston in The Bronx.
“It’s my first time going to the championship,” Kennedy said. “We feel like we deserve this. We get pumped up on the road by everyone trying to get in our heads, but we’re so together that it’s a lot of fun.”
After a close first half, Poly Prep went on a late 13-3 run to close out the third quarter with a 43-37 lead. The Blue Devils hit 6-of-8 free throws late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Poly Prep had four players join Kennedy in double-digit points, including senior captain Katie Friel who put up 15 and junior forward Kerri Saputo (14). Junior center Anna Lisa Westfield was huge for Poly Prep, adding 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“When they told me I had that many rebounds after the game I didn’t remember putting all those up,” Westfield said. “It made all the difference in the end.”
Poly Prep (19-6) beat York Prep on Wednesday and then No. 3 Holy Child on Thursday, both on the road, before facing a tough team in Portledge (26-2) on Friday. Portledge was led by sophomore guard Tamara Simpson who had an astounding 33 points and played a tenacious floor game picking up 10 steals while also adding eight rebounds in the loss.
“We really wanted this,” Simpson said. “I tried my best to get as many steals for my team and convert them into points. We just weren’t in tune tonight, but we’ll get them next year.”
Portledge head coach Skip Amadio was disappointed in the loss, but took some positives from it.
“This is the furthest our school has ever gotten,” Amadio said. “This was a new experience and I’m unbelievably proud of how they played tonight.”
Poly Prep goes on to play yet another road game on Sunday against top-seed Hackley for the crown, a team it has lost to twice including a rare road defeat. Despite the past woes, the Blue Devils remain confident.
“They hammered us twice,” Junsch said. “It’s actually a good thing for us because personally I don’t think there’s any pressure on us and all the pressure is on them. Who wants to play a team three times? We’re happy.”
After Sunday, Junsch and his Poly Prep players hope to draw one more parallel with the Giants by winning a title.
